RABAT, Morocco (AP) — The United Kingdom on Sunday became the latest country to back Morocco’s position on the disputed Western Sahara, calling its plan to keep the territory under Moroccan control “the most credible, viable and pragmatic” way to resolve the decades-long conflict.
At a joint press conference in Morocco's capital, British Foreign Minister David Lammy said the United Kingdom was changing its position to support Morocco's plan to offer the area limited autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty. He and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita lauded the two countries' ties on security and trade, noting Morocco's role as co-host of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
"The time for a resolution and to move this issue forward is long-overdue, and would strengthen the stability of North Africa," Lammy said.
He also reiterated support for the United Nations-led process and called on Morocco to “expand on details of what autonomy within the Moroccan State could entail for the region.”
Western Sahara is a strip of coastal desert rich in phosphates and fish that the United Nations has considered a “non-self-governing territory” throughout almost 50 years of dispute. It's claimed by both Morocco and Polisario, a pro-independence group that operates out of refugee camps in southwestern Algeria.
The shift fulfills one of Morocco's primary foreign policy objectives and makes the United Kingdom the third permanent member of the United Nations Security Council to back its position, following France and the United States. Since 1991, the United Nations has administered a peacekeeping mission designed to hold a referendum to determine the status of the disputed territory, all of which is under Morocco's control except for a small sliver near the Algerian border.
After years of conflict, the area has recently emerged as a hotspot for investment, drawing European and American firms interested in fishing, agriculture and infrastructure projects that would allow for the transmission of wind and solar power. As negotiations have stalled, Morocco has invested heavily in the region and sought support from trade partners. Polisario has taken its fight to international courts, arguing that Morocco does not have the right to trade resources belonging to the Sahrawi people while the conflict remains unresolved.
The countries exchange billions of dollars worth of cars, fruits and vegetables. The two are partnering on XLinks, a renewable energy storage and transmission project whose backers hope will power millions of British homes.
The British shift angered Algeria, Morocco's regional rival, which in a statement on Sunday blasted Morocco's plan as “empty of content and incapable of contributing to a serious and credible settlement of the conflict.”
Polisario Front representatives didn’t respond to questions about the United Kingdom's stance.
FILE - An archway in the entrance of Dakhla carries an image of Morocco's King Mohammed VI, in Western Sahara, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy, File)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio's capital city said Wednesday that they have gathered enough evidence to link a man charged in the double homicide of his ex-wife and her husband in their Columbus home last month to the killings.
Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in an Associated Press interview that authorities now believe Michael David McKee, 39, a vascular surgeon who was living in Chicago, was the person seen walking down a dark alley near Monique and Spencer Tepe's home in video footage from the night of the murders. His vehicle has also been identified traveling near the house, and a firearm found in his Illinois residence also traced to evidence at the scene, she said.
An attorney representing McKee could not be identified through court listings.
His arrest Saturday capped off nearly two weeks of speculation surrounding the mysterious killings that attracted national attention. No obvious signs of forced entry were found at the Tepes’ home. Police also said no weapon was found there, and murder-suicide was not suspected. Further, nothing was stolen, and the couple’s two young children and their dog were left unharmed in the home.
“What we can tell you is that we have evidence linking the vehicle that he was driving to the crime scene. We also have evidence of him coming and going in that particular vehicle,” Bryant told the AP. “What I can also share with you is that there were multiple firearms taken from the property of McKee, and one of those firearms did match preliminarily from a NIBIN (ballistic) hit back to this actual homicide.”
Bryant said that the department wants the public to keep the tips coming. Investigators were able to follow up on every phone call, email and private tip shared from the community to the department and some of that information allowed them to gather enough evidence to make an arrest, she said.
That work culminated in the apprehension of McKee in Rockford, Illinois, where the hospital where he worked — OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center — has said it is cooperating with the investigation. He has been charged with premeditated aggravated murder in the shooting deaths. Monique Tepe, who divorced McKee in 2017, was 39. Her husband, a dentist whose absence from work that morning prompted the first call to police, was 37.
McKee waived his right to an extradition hearing on Monday during an appearance in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Winnebago County, Illinois, where he remains in jail. Bryant said officials are working out details of his return to Ohio, with no exact arrival date set. His next hearing in Winnebago County is scheduled for Jan. 23.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said Wednesday that the city doesn't prioritize high-profile cases any more than others, noting that the city's closure rate on criminal cases exceeds the national average. The city also celebrated in 2025 its lowest level of homicides and violent crime since 2007, Ginther said.
“Every case matters. Ones that receive national attention, and those that don’t,” he told the AP. “Every family deserves closure and for folks to be held accountable, and the rest of the community deserves to be safe when dangerous people are taken off the street.”
Ginther said it is vital for central Ohioans to continue to grieve with the Tepes' family, which includes two young children, and loved ones, as they cope with “such an unimaginable loss.”
“I want our community to wrap our arms around this family and these children for years to come,” he said.
This undated booking photo provided by the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, shows Michael David McKee, who was charged in the killing of his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, and her husband Spencer Tepe at their Columbus, Ohio, home on Dec. 30, 2025. (Winnebago County Sheriff's Office via AP)
Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)
This image taken from video shows Michael David McKee walking into the courtroom on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Rockford, Ill. (WIFR News/Pool Photo via AP)
